Battery lifter



April 4, 1950 J. w. SPEAKER 2,503,005

BATTERY LIFTER Filed Sept. 15, 1946 Patented Apr. 4, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BATTERY LIFTER John W. Speaker, Milwaukee, Wis.

Application September 13, 1946, Serial No. 696,894

3 Claims.

This invention relates to storage battery lifters and refers particularly to the strap type of lifter wherein a flexible insulating strap has clips on the ends thereof to grip the terminal posts oi the battery.

It is an object of this invention to improve battery litters of this general type to the extent of minimizing the strain imposed upon the battery terminals.

Another object of this invention is to simplify the construction of such battery lifters and to obviate the need for rivets or other similar fastenings in the attachment of lthe clips to the strap.

One of the most serious disadvantages of battery lifters heretofore available resides in the fact that the clips would often slip olf the posts, especially where the posts have become worn and as a result are undersize. It is therefore a further object of this invention to provide a battery lifter having clips Iprovided with complementary jaws which approach each other in consequence to the application of lifting force and in which the minimum distance between the jaws is less than the diameter of the smallest battery post that might be encountered.

With the above and other objects in view. which will appear as the description proceeds, this invention resides in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts substantially as hereinafter described and more particularly dened by the appended claims, it being understood that such changes in the precise vembodiment of the hereindisclosed invention may be made as come within the scope of the claims.

The accompanying drawing illustrates one complete exampleof the `physical embodiment of the invention constructed according to the best mode so far devised for the practical application of the principles thereof, and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective View illustrating the battery lifter of this invention applied to a storage battery preparatory to the application of lifting force thereon;

Figure 2 is a perspective view illustrating the top side of one of the clips;

Figure 3 is a perspective view illustrating the back side of the clip;

Figure 4 is a longitudinal sectional view through one of the clips and illustrating the relative positions of the parts upon initial application of the clip to a battery terminal post; and

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4 but showing the parts in their respective positions during the application of lifting force on the clip.

4Referring now particularly to the accompanying drawing, the numeral 6 designates a exible strap of any suitable insulating material, the ends of which have clips generally designated by the numeral I attached thereto and by which the carrying strap maybe connected to the terminal posts 8 and 9 of a storage battery I0.

Each clip 'I comprises a main member II stamped from at sheet steel or the like and having angularly disposed legsV I2 and I3. The leg I3 has a transverse slot I4 in its end portion which is bent out slightly as shown, and is pierced with a U-shaped cut I5 Aat a point adjacent to the juncture or corner defined by the angularly disd posed legs I2 'and I3. The end of the strap 6 is woven through the slot I4 and the opening deiined by the cut I 5, which in a sense provides a second transverse slot. The metal lying lwithin the U4 shaped cut I5 forms a tongue I6 which presses the end portion of the strap 6 against the transverse edge of the cut I5. The metal of which the stamping is made is stiff enough so that the tongue I6 upon being pressed down againstthe strap secures the same in position and thus entirely obviates the need for rivets or other fastening means in the attachment of the strap to the clip.

The leg I2 of the stamping has a round hole I'I of a size to loosely receive any terminal post of a storage battery. The edge portion of the hole which is farthest removed from the juncture or corner between the legs I2 and I3 serves as a jaw adapted to engage and bite into the post of the battery at one side thereof. The jaw thus provided is, of course, fixed with respect to the strap. A complementary movable jaw is provided by the free edge .I8 of a latch plate I9 hngedly connected as at 20 to the main stamping. Preferably, though not necessarily, the free edge of the latch plate has an arcuate notch to increase the extent of its contact with the post.

The hinged connection 20 between the latch plate and the main stamping is conveniently proy vided by a tongue 2I extended from the inner edge of the latch plate and projecting through an aperture 22 inthe main stamping located at the juncture between the leg I2 and the tongue I6. The tongue 2| has its end bifurcated and spread apart after assembly to hold the parts connected.

rlhe relative dimensions of the latch plate I9 and the leg I2 of the main stamping are such that, when the latch plate lies at upon the leg I2, its free edge portion I8 extends a substantial distance beyond the adjacent edge of the hole Il. Thus, when the latch plate is in this position, the spacing between the complementary jaws defined by the far edge of the hole i1 and the edge I8 of the latch plate is at a minimum, and considerably less than the diameter of the hole. As the latch plate is swung away from the leg l2, this spacing increases.

Comparison to Figures 4 and 5 illustrates the manner in which reduction in the angle between the latch plate and the leg l2 of the main stamping decreases the spacing between the complementary jaws, th'mspacing being designated in Figure 2l as a: and in Figure 5 as :1:-. Thus, it will be readily apparent that the provision of the latch plate I9 and the manner in which it -is mounted enables the clip to accommodate battery terminal posts of diierent diameters so that reductions in size of the post resulting fromwear will not interfere with the security .of the grip.

by which the clips attach themselves 'to the posts.

Comparison of Figures 4 and 5 will alsoshow that the application of lifting force to the strap causesthe clip to fulcrumabout .the engagement oflfthe latch plate with the. post, thereby ,reducingy the angle between the latch plate. and .the .leg 4l2 and `efiectingva shortening of thespacef-between the complementary jaws.

Another advantage l of the present construction lies in the fact ,that the .main stampings can all be identical as the diierence in dia-meter between the positiveandnegative `terminal posts-oi storage .batteries is accommodated by `the latch plates. lit-may bedesirableto proyidelatchplates of .two diierentsizes so that theedge .I8 oi `one .of .which approaches the far .edgeo the ,holeflfl more closely than .the other. .The two .sizesof latch plates vmay be .conveniently stamped from diflerently colored stock, or onemay be. plated and `theother not,.so that in ,assembling ,theelips to the strap, one of eachcan bequicklyand .easily identified.

From .the foregoing description, taken..in.con necticn with the accompanying drawing, .,it. will .be apparent that ,this invention provides a sub.- stantial improvement Ain battery litters, particu- .larly b y .reason .of `the fact .that .worn Land `un,-

.dersiaed terminal posts aregripped.assecurelyas properly .sizedposts andiurthenvby virtue ofthe fact that as the strap .is .bowed outwardly, Aas shown in .Figure .1, when its clips areapplied ,to the'battery posts,..the lifting .force ismore nearly straight. up anddown, ,thus minimizing the-lateral strain on the posts.

of which has a hole .therethroughnf a size .to loosely receive the terminalpostof ab.attery,1th.e

other leg .of the stamping having .spacedtrans- 4 verse slots through which the end portion of the carrying strap is threaded; a tongue on said stamping opposite one edge of one of said transverse slots pressing the strap against said edge of the slot; said stamping having an aperture at the juncture of its angularly disposed legs; a stamped latch plate; a tongue on said latch plate received in the aperture at the juncture of the angularly disposed legs hingedly connecting the 'latch plate to the stampingfwith the latch plate 'lying between thefangularly disposed legs so that the free edge of the latch plate serves as a movalb1e jaw to co-act with the far edge of the hole y.tdgrasp a battery terminal post therebetween, the distance between said edges decreasing with .aa reduction in the angle between the latch plate and the leg of the main stamping having the hole therein.

2,. In a storage battery lifter of the type comprising a exible insulating strap and a clip at eachV end of the strap adapted. to grip-a terminal post of4 abattery, means for securing each clip to the strap comprising: a substantially flat leg extending from the clip, said leg having a transverse slot therethrough near its end remote vfrom the clip and a U-shaped cut intermediate said slot and the clip, with vthe llegs of the U facing away from said slot, the tongue defined by said cut being bent out of the plane of the leg and adapted to cooperate .with the body .of the leg to confine a strap woven through said s lot and through the space between the body of the leg and said tongue.

3. In a battery lifter of the type comprising .a flexible insulative strap and a clip .ateach end Aof .the strap adapted to grip a battery. terminal post, means for securing each clip to the strap comprising: a substantially nat leg ,extendingrfrom .the .clip and having `a pair of spacedopenings therethrough through rwhich the strapis adapted to. be woven; and a vcooperating tongue struck -from the Vbody of .the leg adjacentone of 1the openings adapted to pinch the .strap against lthe portion ofthe leg betweenvthelopening's.

JOHN W. SPEAKER.

REFERENCES CITED The .following references Vare of record lin the le .of .this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS lNumber Name .Date

861,078 Benedict July 23, 1,907 1,908,926 Severance IMay 16, ,1933 2,112,923 (Moen g Apr. 5, 1938 2,126,605 Beery Aug. 9, '1938 2,137,922 Mistretta Novi 22, 193.8 

